Cheap Shots
by Caroline
Summary: [GCR] Catherine's motives for shooting Syd Goggle are questioned, and her response puts not one, but two careers in jeopardy. Chapter 3 of (?) is up.
1. Five Times

  
  
CHEAP SHOTS 

Chapter 1: "Five Times"  
Spoilers: "Strip Strangler" (122)

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"Is this him?" Special Agent Rick Culpepper asked of Catherine as he leaned over the body of Syd Goggle.

Catherine answered in the affirmative, her eyes still on Grissom, who was holding his wounded shoulder. "Y'alright?" she asked him again tenderly, reaching out to touch his arm.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Thanks to you."

"Willows..." Culpepper murmured, crouching by the body...

"What?"

"Exactly how many bullets would you say it takes to incapacitate a dangerous suspect?"

With a shrug, she replied, "One or two... why?" She furrowed her brow, not understanding the relevance of such a question.

"Well," he sighed, his tone holding an air of arrogance, "You unloaded five into the suspect, not only incapacitating him, but pretty much causing imminent and immediate death."

"It was self-defense," Grissom chimed in, frowning at Culpepper.

"Really? So the suspect was coming after her?"

"No, he was going after Gil," she corrected him. "It's our job to protect one of our own if they're in danger."

Grissom snipped, "He was a serial killer. What's your point, Culpepper?"

"My point is, serial killer or not, this man was an officer of the law, and therefore an investigation is pending."

"What?" She stared dubiously at him. Now she could see why Gil thought he was such an ass... "He was just a security guard!"

"No matter how low on the law-enforcement totem pole, Miss Willows, he was still an officer of the law." He nodded toward Sheriff Mobley. "Take her down to the station."

"What?!" Grissom and Catherine exclaimed in unison. Grissom shook his head in disbelief. "You can't be serious, Culpepper..."

"Mr. Grissom, when it comes to killing an officer, I'm dead serious."

"Gil..." Catherine called over her shoulder, worry now clouding her eyes as Mobley led her away by the arm.

"Don't worry Cath, I'll be right behind you!" he assured her, then shot an evil glare at Culpepper before following her.

------------------

Catherine sighed as she sat primly in the hard chairs of the interrogation room, staring down at her lap as Culpepper and Brass entered the room. Brass laid a supportive hand on her shoulder, and she glanced up at him, attempting a smile that ultimately came off as weak when he looked down at her.

Culpepper's voice broke through the heavy silence. "Alright, let's go over this again..."

------

"This is crazy," Nick drawled, shaking his head as he crossed his arms over his chest, standing just behind Grissom on the other side of the two-way mirror.

Though the room was dark, it was certain that everyone's eyes were centered on Catherine. Sara stood toward the back with Sheriff Mobley, leaning against the wall with her hands clasped behind her back, and Warrick and Nick stood on either side of Grissom, both of them leaning their butts on the table, legs stretched out in front of them. Grissom held the position closest to the glass... directly in front of it... his hands in his pockets as he stared intently at Catherine.

"They shouldn't be questioning Catherine," Warrick sighed, "They should be closing up the case and gettin' the Feds outta here."

"This is ridiculous," Sara added from the back. "She didn't do anything wrong. She saved Grissom's life."

Softly, Grissom told his 'kids,' "They're just following protocol. When an officer is shot... any kind of officer... they need to do an investigation."

Outwardly, he seemed cool and composed, but inwardly he was terrified for Catherine. Knowing Culpepper, he'd dig into Catherine's past and make her look foolish. He'd strip her of her pride... and of all the daily irritants in his life, someone belittling Catherine Willows was the one thing Grissom would absolutely not tolerate.

------

"So you went to Mr. Goggle's apartment..."

"Yes," she replied in a low voice. "To look for Gil."

"And why would Mr. Grissom even be there?" Culpepper asked, leaning on the table. "If I remember correctly, he was suspended from the case." He smiled to himself. "And also, if memory serves correctly, the rest of you followed his lead, and went on a little 'strike'... right?"

"We went 'civilian,'" she explained, "But we didn't stop working the case."

"Ah. I see."

"What're you gonna do? Have us all fired for doing our jobs?" she snipped. "If it weren't for us... if it weren't for GIL, for that matter, you wouldn't have even HAD a suspect. You'd still be conducting your frivolous little 'decoy' experiments."

Brass smirked at the venom in the senior CSI's voice, and laid a hand on her shoulder once more. "Cool it, Cath," he reminded her gently.

"Sorry," she apologized in a whisper, her eyes downcast on the table.

Brass nodded in acknowledgement and glanced up at Culpepper. "Just get to the point Rick, hmm?"

"Fine," he sneered. "So you went to Mr. Goggle's apartment looking for your supervisor, or GIL, as you seem to be comfortable calling him..."

"Jim..." she murmured, glancing over her shoulder for assistance.

"Rick!"

"Fine!" he hissed again. "You went to Goggle's apartment looking for Mr. Grissom. Did you go inside?"

"No," she replied. "I was about to, but something told me to check the laundry room first, so I headed down there."

"Alright, and when you arrived at the laundry room, what did you see?"

She sighed, staring at the surface of the table as if looking through it, reliving the horrible occurrence from earlier. "From the top of the stairs I saw Syd hit Gil on the shoulder with a wrench, and then Gil fell to the floor. When I saw Syd reach for the shovel I grabbed my gun, headed down the stairs, and shot him."

"But you didn't stop with one shot..." he needled her. "You pumped five bullets into him. Why?"

------

Nick shook his head, frowning at the scene taking place on the other side of the glass. "Man, that guy's an ass..." he murmured, more to himself than anybody else, but everyone caught it nonetheless.

"He's one of the best Special Agents the FBI's got, Stokes," Mobley reprimanded him from the back of the room.

"I don't care how good he is," he shot back in his thick Texan accent... "He's got no reason to speak to Catherine that way."

"Dude, be cool," Warrick chided him. "I don't like the way he's talking to Catherine anymore than you do, but he is using normal interrogation tactics."

Nick grumbled something that skirted along the edges of everyone's hearing before turning back to what was happening in the interrogation room.

------

"Actually, let me back up..." Culpepper sighed. "A day or so ago, Sheriff Mobley offered you the position of supervisor of the CSI night shift. Why was that?"

She shrugged. "Because Gil refuses to play political games..."

"And you don't?"

"No." Once again, an indifferent shrug rolled off her shoulders. "I scratch Mobley's back, he scratches mine."

"I see. So, after your supervisor was suspended from the case, you were given the chance to take over... but you declined. Why?"

"I didn't want the promotion. It was offered to me for the wrong reasons."

"Okay. So you don't exactly mind being second-in-command here, do you?"

"No. Less paperwork," she replied cryptically.

"Where are you going with this, Culpepper?" Brass asked, his eyes following the Special Agent as he paced back and forth on the other side of the table.

"I'm just trying to get a better idea of Miss Willows' motives, here, Captain Brass... relax."

Catherine narrowed her eyes at him as he paced, her full lips set in a firm scowl. Culpepper continued. "So you were offered the position of supervisor but turned it down because it wasn't what you wanted."

"Yes," she hissed through clenched teeth, already hating where this was going...

"So, if your supervisor were to be injured, let's say, or killed... just by rank you'd be forced to take his place?"

"Yes."

"But you wouldn't want that..." he murmured, his tone taunting her, like that of a bully taunting his victim on the school playground. "So, in order to keep your job as second-banana intact, you did everything you could to ensure that you wouldn't have to take over, and that meant nailing Goggle with five bullets."

That was the last straw. She slammed her hands down on the table and stood up forcefully, knocking her chair back as she did so. "I didn't do it to protect my job, okay?!" she yelled, "I did it to protect the man I love!"

A shocked silence filled the room. Culpepper and Brass exchanged a look, and Catherine sat back down in a huff, placing her elbow on the table and covering her eyes with her hand... disbelieving the incriminating statement actually tumbled from her lips.

------

On the other side of the glass, each CSI wore a different expression: Sara stared open-mouthed, her brows furrowed in a scowl, shocked and slightly put-off by what she'd heard. Nick still held his stance with his arms folded across his chest, his eyebrows now raised to their highest point on his forehead, lips pressed tightly together. Warrick's stance mirrored Nick's, though his expression was more knowing... as if Catherine's confession came as no surprise to him. He merely nodded, pursing his lips.

And then there was Grissom... standing inches from the glass that separated him from the strawberry blond, his jaw dropped in a mixture of awe and surprise, his eyes glazed over with a far-away look. It was a look that Catherine herself had once referred to as the 'dopey look in his eyes.'

Sheriff Mobley stepped up to Grissom, gaining the attention of the younger CSIs as he did so. "Gil? Were you aware of this?" he asked.

Grissom didn't respond... either not hearing the question or choosing to completely ignore it, his expression never faltering. Nick smiled just slightly at this, glancing toward the sheriff. "I think Grissom's brain has temporarily vacated the premises, sir."

"Then that answers my question," he sighed, "And we now have something entirely new to investigate." He nodded toward the door when he saw Brass and Culpepper leave the interrogation room, and the three junior CSIs followed him out.

Grissom could only stare at the strawberry blond on the opposite side of the glass, sitting forlornly in the interrogation room by herself. He gulped slowly as her words sunk in, and the only sounds in the room were those of the ticking clock on the wall, and his rapidly beating heart...

------------------------------

TO BE CONTINUED


	2. Forced Confessions

  
  
CHEAP SHOTS

Chapter: 2/?  
Spoilers: "Strip Strangler" (122)

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"Sit down..." Sheriff Mobley instructed Grissom as he entered the interrogation room.

Grissom obliged and sat beside Catherine, neither turning to look at the other. Their eyes remained focused on Sheriff Mobley, who stood over them on the other side of the table. From behind them, they heard Brass clearing his throat, the sounds of him sitting on the table by the door following shortly after.

"Sheriff? Would you like me to conduct this interrogation as well?" Culpepper asked, poking his head inside the door.

"That's alright, Culpepper, I'll handle this one. I need you to go round up your men, and start working on closing the Strip Strangler case. We've got a press conference in one hour."

Culpepper nodded a response and left, closing the door softly behind him. "Well," Mobley sighed, "Where to begin?"

"Just ask the questions that are necessary," Brass reminded him.

"If I remember correctly Captain Brass, I hold a higher position of authority than you do. Don't tell me how to do my job."

He took a long moment studying Grissom and Catherine, who were still avoiding each other's eyes. While Grissom looked down at the table, Catherine looked up at Mobley, a worried expression crossing her features.

"I think we'll start at the beginning," he announced, and pulled out a chair to sit down across from them, this action gaining Grissom's attention.

------

"Oh man," Nick sighed, "They're really gonna get grilled, aren't they?"

The three junior CSIs had resumed their places on the other side of the two-way mirror, all of them leaning against the table in a row, arms folded across their chests. Their eyes were trained on the two senior CSIs on the other side, watching them intently like children watching their parents. In response to Nick's comment, Warrick nodded his head slowly. "Yep... everything's comin' out, now."

Sara shook her head, frowning. "This is so bogus."

The men on either side of her turned their heads briefly to look at her, before exchanging a look.

------

"Where did you two meet?" Mobley asked, folding his arms on the table.

Catherine drew in a slow breath, and Grissom straightened slightly in his seat. "We met fifteen years ago, at the French Palace."

Mobley glanced to Catherine. "Where you were employed as a stripper?"

"Exotic dancer," they corrected him in unison, and for the first time since Catherine's confession, their eyes met.

Mobley paid no notice. "Right, right, sorry," he facetiously apologized. "And Gil, were you there for business or for pleasure?"

"Strictly business," he replied. "I was investigating the death of one of the bouncers, and had to question several dancers, including Catherine."

"Alright, and then what?"

"We got to talking," Catherine piped up. "I had a lot of interest in forensics, so once he was through with his questioning, I had some questions for him."

"I suggested that she go to school and study forensics," he chimed in, glancing sideways at Catherine before looking up at Mobley. "I told her she could come work with me."

"Pretty hefty promise for a CSI-level one," he mused. "Did you think if you promised her a job, she'd give you something in return?"

"Of course not!" he exclaimed, as if the very idea was preposterous. "Look, I have no idea why you're assuming I had a sexual relationship with Catherine based solely on the fact that she used to dance. Our relationship has been nothing but platonic for the last fifteen years!"

"But by choice?"

"Yes, by choice," Catherine snapped. She glanced to Grissom. "If we were to start a relationship, both of our careers could end up in jeopardy. We could end up comprising a case."

"Precisely," Mobley sighed. "And enter Syd Goggle..."

------

"This is so insane," Nick sighed. He turned to Warrick and Sara. "I mean, even if they have feelings for each other, which... come on, it's pretty obvious..." He paused. "Up until now, none of their cases had been compromised."

"That doesn't matter to the sheriff, though," Warrick replied. "This case was compromised because of Catherine's feelings getting in the way, and it just happened to be this case that the victim-slash-killer was an officer."

Sara sighed heavily, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "Kinda makes you wonder, though..." she murmured.

"What?"

She shrugged. "Well, all those times Catherine got to work the big cases instead of one of us. Was that just favoritism on Grissom's part, because he's in love with her?"

Warrick shook his head. "No way."

She furrowed her brow. "What makes you say that?"

"Because that's not like Grissom. No matter what, he doesn't favor any of us over the other."

"Well, but Catherine--"

"Catherine's got seniority, first of all, and she's got the most talent," he argued. "He puts her on the big cases because he knows that she's one of the best CSIs in Las Vegas... and because he trusts her."

"Right, but does he trust her because of her talent, or does he trust her because he loves her?"

Neither men ventured a response... neither really knew how to respond. They just looked at each other before turning their attention back to the glass.

------

"So you're saying that you never let your feelings compromise a case..."

"Right," Catherine replied. "Until now." She shrugged. "I'll admit, my feelings for Gil clouded my judgement a little, and I shot Goggle a few more times than necessary. But come on... the guy was a serial killer! Yes, he was an officer of the law, but he was a serial killer on top of that!"

"I'm aware of that," Mobley reminded her. "Catherine, I'm well aware of that. That's not what we're concerned with anymore... that case is being closed as we speak. What I'm concerned with is the fact that you let your feelings get in the way of rational thinking. So now I'm left wondering just how many times this has happened before."

"I told you," she hissed through her clenched teeth. "Today was the first time."

"Uh, that's not exactly true..." Brass spoke up from behind them.

"Jim..." Grissom murmured, shocked.

Brass shrugged. "I'm sorry Gil, but I have to look at this objectively, despite my professional history with the both of you. There was another case a few months back, involving Eddie Willows..."

Mobley glanced to Catherine. "Your ex-husband?"

She nodded slowly, closing her eyes in dread.

------

"Shit..." Nick whispered.

Sara shook her head in response. "This does not look good for Catherine," she murmured.

"Yeah..." Warrick agreed, "And they haven't even STARTED on Grissom yet..."

------

"There was a case involving an alleged rape on an exotic dancer," Catherine explained. "Eddie was the suspect."

Mobley looked to Grissom. "And you let her take this case because...?"

"I didn't want her to take the case," Grissom replied. "I allowed her to do the prelim. I told her after that, she had to hand it off to somebody else."

"And?" he asked expectantly of Catherine... "Did you?"

Eyes still closed, her head dropped to her chest. She slowly opened her eyes, keeping her gaze focused on her lap as she shamefully replied, "No."

"So you went against your supervisor's orders to hand off the case just because the suspect was your ex-husband?"

"Look, I know it sounds bad, okay?" Catherine met Mobley's eyes. "I didn't do it because of Eddie. I did it for my daughter."

"But once again your feelings, your attachment to those involved, compromised the case."

"It didn't compromise the case!" she snipped. "If anything, it helped the case get solved quicker. The charges were erroneous. The sex was consensual."

"So you got to fully exonerate your ex..."

"It wasn't by choice," she insisted. "If there's anyone that wants to lock Eddie up, it's me." She shrugged. "But he didn't do it. I knew he didn't. So I conducted myself in a professional manner to prove just that."

Mobley glanced to Grissom next. "And how did you feel about all this?"

Grissom shrugged. "I was upset she didn't hand off the case when I instructed her to, but I knew she wouldn't do anything to compromise it."

"And what about this case? Do you think she compromised anything in this case?"

"No," he replied simply. "She was just doing her job, looking out for one of her own."

"Yes, but she has confessed to having feelings for you... and for letting said-feelings obstruct her logic in handling the situation in the laundry room."

"I'm aware of that. But what I'm also aware of is the facts. Syd Goggle murdered three women... all the evidence can back us up on that... AND he would have killed me too if she hadn't been there."

Brass spoke up once more. "That IS considered self defense, Brian. She had every right to shoot him."

"I understand that, Jim. But, five times?"

"I thought you said we were gonna drop this," Catherine sighed. "Culpepper's closing the case right now."

"Yes. We'll drop it. What's in question now is your career."

"Over one little incident..." Grissom shook his head in disbelief.

Mobley stopped him with a stern glare. "If I were you, Gil, I'd keep my mouth shut. Your job is in question, too."

"On what grounds?" he challenged, folding his arms across his chest.

"Possible favoritism... and we still have yet to uncover the status of your personal relationship with Miss Willows."

"I can vouch for both of them in both of those instances," Brass chimed in. "Gil has never exhibited any favoritism toward Catherine, and I've got three junior CSIs on the other side of that mirror there," he jerked his thumb over his shoulder, "That can back me up on it."

"And their relationship outside of work?"

"We've remained strictly friends for the last fifteen years," Grissom replied, discreetly reaching for Catherine's hand under the table when she glanced to him. "Despite any feelings that have or haven't been present."

"So you admit to sharing Catherine's feelings?" Mobley asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," he replied honestly. "I'll admit to being in love with Catherine as well."

She smiled warmly at him... at how effortlessly the confession had rolled off his tongue, and he met her eyes, smiling briefly before Mobley diverted their attention away from one another. "But both of you are willing to swear that you've never been in a sexual relationship?"

"Yes," they replied in unison.

"And like Brass said," Catherine added, "We've got three junior CSIs that can back us up on that, as well. They of all people should know that both of us are basically married to our jobs, and that we have no time for relationships outside of work."

Mobley cast a quick glanced toward the two-way mirror as he sighed. "Well, you'll have plenty of time now."

"What?"

------

"Yeah, what?" Sara repeated.

"Is he firing them BOTH?!" Nick asked, his voice raising steeply in pitch.

------

"What are you talking about, Brian?" Brass asked.

Staring directly at Catherine and Grissom, he replied, "I'm placing both of you on temporary suspension, pending further investigation into your relationship." He waved dismissively. "You two can do whatever you want, as long as you don't show up here."

The pair stood abruptly, their clasped hands now revealed. "You can't do that!" Grissom exclaimed.

Mobley's eyes shot straight to their hands, then back up to their faces, his brow arching conspicuously. "I believe I can."

Catherine and Grissom glanced down at their twined hands, then immediately dropped them and took a step away from each other.

"Brian, you can't be serious..." Brass sighed.

"I'm completely serious," he insisted. "And from what I just saw, they'll have no problem being away from work." He sneered. "It'll give them some time alone with each other."

With that, he flung the door open and left the room, Brass tossing a glance at the pair before following the sheriff out the door, still looking slightly stumped as to what just happened. Catherine and Grissom stared at each other, unsure of what to say or do...

------

"So that's it?!" Sara exclaimed. "Just like that, they're suspended?!"

"Just like that," Warrick slowly sighed.

"I can't believe this," Nick drawled. "I mean, it was bad enough when Grissom got suspended from the Strip Strangler case, but with BOTH of them gone?" He shook his head. "The lab's gonna go to hell."

"Geez," Sara whispered. "Feels kinda like we're having our parents taken away from us, doesn't it?"

Warrick nodded slowly, heading for the door, Nick and Sara soon following suit. "Yep... so we'll have to do whatever we can to speed this stupid little investigation along."

"Yeah," Nick chimed in, grinning slightly, "And get our mommy and daddy back."

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TO BE CONTINUED


	3. Hearts On The Table

  
  
CHEAP SHOTS 

Chapter 3: Hearts On The Table  
Spoilers: "Strip Strangler" (122) (and minor references to "Blood Drops" [107] and "Table Stakes" [114]).

----------------------

"You guys, we're really sorry this happened," Nick apologized, standing outside Grissom's office with Catherine, Grissom, Warrick, and Sara.

"Yeah, if there's anything we can do..." Warrick began.

Catherine held up a hand to stop him. "It's fine, really," she assured them, glancing to Grissom briefly. "Just..." She turned back to her CSIs, smiling at them. "Don't say anything too incriminating, huh?"

"We've got nothing incriminating to say," Warrick replied.

Sara just glanced between them all, casting her eyes to her shoes a second later. "Don't burn down the lab," Grissom instructed his 'kids.' "And uh..." He glanced toward the DNA lab, smirking at the back of Greg Sanders, who was busying himself by using test tubes as drumsticks. "Don't let Greg have his music up too loud."

"Will do," Nick chuckled. "And don't worry... we'll have you guys back in no time at all."

Catherine offered a small smile. "Well, we'll see."

With that, she and Grissom waved goodbye and set off toward the parking lot side-by-side, standing just a hair away from each other. The other three watched until they'd rounded the corner and were out of sight before heaving large sighs. Warrick shook his head. "What are we gonna do?"

Sara shrugged. "Brass said he'd help run the unit until they come back."

"I don't mean that..." he sighed. "I mean what are we gonna do to help them?"

Nick shrugged, shoving his hands in the pockets of his chinos. "Can we even do anything?"

Sara mimicked Nick's shrug, leaning against the door to Grissom's office. "Just be honest. Answer any questions they ask us truthfully."

Warrick shook his head. "The truth could be incriminating for them, though."

She glanced to him sharply. "What? You said during the interrogation that Grissom NEVER favored one of us over the other. And that the way that he felt about Catherine NEVER interfered with a case."

"Well, yeah..." he shrugged. He glimpsed quick at the floor while he shuffled his feet. "But I was kinda thinking about it, and actually... there were a few times where he kinda favored Catherine."

"Such as?" Nick asked, unconvinced.

"The Collins case," Sara jumped in. "That quadruple homicide. He wanted Catherine inside the house, right beside him the whole way, and he stuck me with babysitting duty."

Nick shrugged. "Catherine is the only one of us that is well-versed in blood spatter and blood drops. I don't see that as favoritism." He glanced between Warrick and Sara. "What else?"

"The case about that dead showgirl," she replied. "Warrick could've easily broken that case open, but instead Grissom stuck him with that dead-end hit on that glass elevator."

"And the Holly Gribbs case?" Warrick added, glancing to Nick. "That was supposed to be your case, remember? Until Catherine jumped in and demanded to Grissom that she take it. He could've easily put his foot down and said no. But he didn't. He let her have it."

Nick sighed heavily. "Well if you guys are gonna have that attitude about this whole thing, they might as well just start drawing up dismissal papers for the both of them," he drawled, narrowing his eyes at his colleagues. "I thought we were gonna work together to get them BACK here... not get them both fired." With that he stormed off, leaving Warrick and Sara to exchange looks.

----------------------

Grissom and Catherine walked side-by-side out to the Tahoe, neither speaking nor making eye contact. Both just shuffled sadly toward the truck, like children that had been told they couldn't go outside to play. Once inside the Tahoe, both doors having been shut, Catherine broke the silence with a sigh.

Grissom looked over at her. "What?"

When she turned to look at him, he met her eyes only briefly before turning away, reaching for his seatbelt. She rolled her eyes, then did the same. "Just this whole... thing." She shook her head. "It's so stupid."

He shrugged nonchalantly. "It'll blow over."

She rolled her eyes once more, nodding slowly. "Yeah, it'll blow over," she breathed in a monotone, sardonic voice. "It'll blow us both to the unemployment office."

"There you go again, thinking negatively," he teased good-naturedly, trying to ease the obvious tension.

"And there YOU go again, acting like you don't give a shit," she snipped, missing his light attempt at humor.

He glanced over at her in shock. "Cath..."

"Why don't you care, Gil?" she exclaimed, outraged as she threw her arms up in the air.

He furrowed his brow, trying to understand where this outburst was coming from. He knew Catherine was prone to having a quick temper, but such a sharp mood swing was completely foreign to him. "Catherine, I not once said that I didn't care about this whole thing."

"You've hardly said ONE WORD to me since the interrogation!"

"I'm saying dozens of words to you right now!" he exclaimed, his voice raising to match hers. "What is your problem?"

"Gil, we laid our hearts out on the table in that room! We confessed things to the whole world that we haven't even confessed directly to each other before!" Her voice softened. "Doesn't that matter to you?"

"Of course it matters Catherine, why wouldn't it matter?" he calmly asked, attempting to restore peace between them, but it was a futile attempt...

"I dunno, you tell me!"

He shook his head. "I don't think we should be discussing this now. It's neither the time nor the place." He turned the key in the ignition, starting up the Tahoe.

"Oh right, of course!" she snipped. "It's never the right time with you, is it? You just lock everything up and keep it hidden away until we're OUT of time, don't you Gil?"

"Catherine!"

"What?!"

"Enough."

She tossed her head in a huff and folded her arms across her chest as she turned away from Grissom, staring out the window and fuming silently all the way back to his townhouse.

------------------------

"Hey..." Warrick called, poking his head inside the locker room.

Nick, who was seated on the bench, turned only slightly to acknowledge his presence before turning his eyes away. "Hi."

He sighed. "Look man, I'm sorry about what Sara and I said out there."

"Yeah... and I'm sorry for getting so upset," Nick returned, slowly rising to his feet. He shrugged, throwing his arms up as he did so. "I just thought we were all pulling for the common goal, here... getting Grissom and Catherine reinstated. The way you guys were talking, we were on our way to getting them fired."

"I know," he nodded, "And I'm sorry. That's the last thing I want."

The two men glanced at each other momentarily, sighing in unison. "Have you talked to Brass?" Nick asked after a moment.

Warrick nodded. "He's with Sara right now in the break room. He said something about wanting to do separate questioning."

"For who?" Off the look Warrick gave, he raised his eyebrows. "All of US have to be interrogated now, too?!" He shook his head, slamming the door to his locker. "This is getting WAY out of hand. She shot a multiple murderer, who was ABOUT to harm one of her own! It shouldn't have been scrutinized any further than that."

"I know that, man," Warrick sighed, "But you know how Mobley is... always looking out for his reputation."

"Yeah," Nick huffed, "Wouldn't wanna screw up his chances of becoming mayor now, would he?"

Warrick chuckled. "'Course not." He jerked his head toward the break room. "Come on. Let's go talk to Brass."

They found Brass leaning against the wall near the breakroom with Sara, both of them speaking in hushed tones. When they saw the two men approaching them, they straightened up. "Better now, Nicky?" Brass asked with a slight smile.

Nick grinned, somewhat sheepishly. "Yeah, thanks."

"Before Mobley pulls one of you in for questioning, the four of us should have a quick chat... a little pep talk, maybe." He jerked his chin toward the breakroom, signaling for them to follow him inside.

When they did, they all took seats around the table while Brass paced in front of the fridge. He went over to close the door quickly before resuming his pacing. "Alright... now they're gonna ask you some pretty straight-forward stuff in there... about Grissom's behavior around Catherine, about her behavior around him... cases they've worked together, the whole shibang." He paused. "Now, I think we all know that there are a few instances that could be construed as favoritism... or a few instances that seem a little questionable. Now I still want you to answer the questions TRUTHFULLY, but as we all know... the truth CAN be bent a little and still be the truth."

"What are you saying, Brass?" Sara asked. "That you want us to lie?"

"No! What I'm saying is, if we want Grissom and Catherine BOTH reinstated, we've gotta leave a few minute details out. That's all."

Sara nodded slowly, casting her gaze to the table as she considered Brass' statement.

Nick shrugged his response. "I'm fine with that."

"Yeah, me too," Warrick chimed in. "So which one of us is first?"

"Mobley's pick for 'lucky winner number one' would be Mr. Stokes." He cast an apologetic glance Nick's way. "Sorry, Nicky."

"Hey, I'm ready for it," he insisted, pressing his palms to the table as he rose from his seat. "Where's he questioning us? The station?"

"No, he doesn't wanna use up the interrogation rooms for this," Brass replied. He nodded toward the door. "He's in Grissom's office."

Nick nodded silently, and cast a look at Sara and Warrick before heading out the door.

------------------------

"Catherine, you can't go the whole day being mad at me!" Grissom called, stalking after her as she stomped into his townhouse.

"Yes I can!" she snipped back childishly, "You're not the boss of me!"

He paused midstep on the stoop and shook his head, rolling his eyes skyward. "And strangely enough, maturity is one of the things I love about you..." he murmured, then followed her inside.

"What?" She narrowed her eyes at him as she opened his half-full bottle of vodka.

He shook his head. "Nevermind." He then made a face as he watched her pour a generous amount of vodka into a glass of orange juice. "Cath, what are you doing?"

"Making a screwdriver."

He glanced at the clock. "It's seven o'clock in the morning."

"So?"

Another childish, snippy comment escaped her lips, and he sighed in response, walking slowly over to her... holding her gaze. He gently reached for the glass in her hand, his fingers grazing hers as he pried it from her grasp. "So, it's too early to be drinking, Catherine."

"Don't tell me what to do, Grissom!" she shouted, snatching the glass back from him and taking a swig.

He snatched it right back, his eyes burning into hers. "Now you're just displacing your anger, Catherine. We need to talk."

She made a face at him, narrowing her eyes as her lips curled into an angry sort of sneer. "'Displacing my anger'?! Who are you... Freud?"

"Catherine..." His voice held a warning tone, one that spoke of his utter exasperation over her behavior. He once again reached out to take the glass back from her, dumping it promptly in the sink.

"Hey! You know that's YOUR liquor getting dumped down the drain!"

"It's not important to me, Cath." He set the glass in the sink then reached out to grasp both her hands, holding on tight when she tried to move away. "YOU are important to me..."

She wriggled her arms against him, struggling to get free. "Gil, don't do that! You know it won't--"

He silenced her words with an aggressive kiss.

-----------

TBC


End file.
